Indonesia (the Republic of Indonesia) was established in 1945, it covers an area of 1,904,569 sq km, its population is 210 million, its capital city is Jakarta, and its official language is Indonesian.

JUNE 1995: SOLD SOME OF ITS AVIATION ASSETS INCLUDING 3 737-200'S TO AVIATION FACILITIES CO (AVCO).

September 2004: Timika to Cairns (MD-80, weekly charters for Freeport).

November 2004: 310 employees.

May 2005: Airfast Indonesia (PTF) specialises in contract operations, aviation management services, charter passenger and cargo services to the oil, mining, and construction industries in Indonesia and other countries in the region. A variety of aerial work activities such as aerial mapping, survey flights, heli-logging, and medical evacuation are also undertaken.

October 2005: The Indonesian government banned the operation of 737-200s owing to "safety concerns" in the wake of last month's Mandala Airlines (MND) crash. At the same time, the government banned all airplanes more than 35 years old and/or with >70,000 cycles. The crash was the 8th involving Mandala (MND) since 1975 and there have been 74 crashes involving transport airplanes in Indonesia since 1990.

March 2007: The Indonesian government announced a ban on commercial airplanes older than 10 years following several mishaps and accidents, the worst of which was the January 2007 crash of a 17-year-old Adam Air (DHI) 737-400 that killed 102. According to the "Associated Press," Transport Minister, Hatta Rajasa insisted the regulation would not require parliamentary approval, but did not indicate when it would go into effect. The current age limit is 20 years. Adam Air (DHI) announced last month, that it intended to lease 6 A320s and build up a fleet of 30 of the type "over the next 5 years," replacing the 737s it now operates. New airplanes will be both leased and purchased.

April 2007: The USA (FAA) announced that Indonesia "does not comply with international safety standards set by (ICAO)" and lowered the country's safety rating to Category 2, ruling that it is "no longer overseeing the safety of its airlines in accordance with international standards." The USA State Dept issued its own statement saying that last month's safety assessment conducted by the Indonesian Directorate General of Civil Aviation did not include "detailed methodology supporting the ratings" and that "Americans traveling to and from Indonesia should fly directly to their destinations on international carriers from countries whose civil aviation authorities meet international aviation safety standards."

July 2007: Indonesia and (ICAO) signed a "groundbreaking declaration" in Bali under which Indonesia committed to wide-ranging initiatives to improve the safety of its civil aviation system. The deal comes after the European Union (EU) banned all Indonesian airlines from flying into its airspace. Indonesia will restructure the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, enact the required legal framework for it effectively to meet international safety obligations, ensure the required human and financial resources and correct deficiencies identified by (ICAO)'s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program and other internal or external audits. (ICAO) said, "Indonesia will also implement a proactive and systemic management of safety to comply, in a verifiable manner, with national requirements and (ICAO) international safety standards and industry best practices. This includes a commitment by government authorities and the local air transport industry to foster transparency and the sharing of safety-related data to support the safety management process, under guidelines established by (ICAO)."

Beech 1900D (UE-393, PK-OCY), delivery.

November 2007: The European Commission (EC) issued the 6th update of its airline blacklist, removing Suriname's Blue Wing Airlines and lifting the operating restrictions imposed on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Both carriers, however, will remain subject to prioritized ramp inspections at Community airports in order to ensure their "consistent adherence" to relevant safety standards. "This latest revision shows that when airlines take rapid and sound corrective action to comply with safety standards, they can be withdrawn from the list quickly," (EC) VP Transport, Jacques Barrot noted. "It also shows that the list increasingly serves as a preemptive, rather than punitive tool for safeguarding aviation safety." He added that relevant oversight authorities verified measures taken by (PIA) and Blue Wing Airlines and "that these measures provide for long-lasting sustainable solutions to avoid the same problems recurring in the future."

July 2008: The 8th edition of the European Commission (EC)'s blacklist of banned airlines does not include Iran's Mahan Airlines (MHN), thanks to "significant efforts and progress accomplished by this carrier, which were verified during an on-site inspection," but continues to include Indonesian airlines, including Garuda Indonesia (GIA). "The Commission (EC) decided that the Indonesian authorities have still not developed and implemented an efficient oversight program on any of the carriers under their regulatory control," it said. Ukraine Cargo Airways remains banned as well, and Yemenia Airways (YEM) was told it "should complete its corrective actions plan" by the Air Safety Committee's next meeting. All airlines from Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are banned, while Gabon Airlines and AfriJet (FRJ) from Gabon are allowed to maintain operations at their current level.

November 2008: The European Commission (EC) added some other airlines to its list of airlines banned from flying into the European Union (EU). Regarding the Philippines, the (EC) said it "intends to carry out with member states a safety assessment of the Philippine civil aviation authorities in early 2009."

April 2009: Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation said all airlines based in the country will be required to operate at least 10 airplanes (each) by 2012, at least 5 of which must be owned. "If not, they will have to shut down or merge with other airlines to meet the quota," a ministry spokesperson told reporters. The rule change (currently Indonesian carriers only have to own 2 airplanes) is driven by safety concerns. "We want airlines to be financially sound and committed to giving the best in terms of service and safety," the spokesperson said, according to "Agence France Presse."

July 2009: Iran's Mahan Air (MHN) was added to the (EU)'s list of banned airlines, while Garuda Indonesia (GIA), Airfast Indonesia (PTF), Mandala Airlines (MND) and Premiair were removed from the "blacklist." The latest update did not include Yemenia Yemen Airways (YEM), despite recent controversy following the June 29 A310-300 crash that killed 152 passengers and crew. All airlines from Zambia and Kazakhstan were added to the list with the exception of Air Astana (AKZ), which will be allowed limited access to (EU) nations.

(TAAG) Angola Airlines (ANG), already on the list of >200 carriers, will be allowed to operate "into Portugal only with certain airplanes and under very strict conditions," the European Commission (EC) said, adding that the limited access was granted to acknowledge "progress made by the civil aviation authority of Angola [and (TAAG) (ANG)] to resolve progressively any safety deficiencies." All other Angolan airlines remain banned. All Indonesian carriers remain banned apart from the aforementioned 4. Complete bans are in place on airlines from Benin, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Swaziland.

European Commission VP Transport, Antonio Tajani has called for a global blacklist, a suggestion that has been rejected by (ICAO) for now. "We will not accept that airlines fly at different standards when they operate inside and outside Europe," he said, renewing his call. "It is high time that the international community rethinks its safety policy; those airlines which are unsafe should not be allowed to fly anywhere."

July 2012: Boeing (TBC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Indonesian’s Ministry of Transportation to help establish advanced aviation training programs and practices that meet globally recognized standards. These will be used for training the country’s pilots (FC), maintenance technicians (MT), dispatchers and air traffic controllers (ATCO)s.

The (MOU) focuses on the development of an aviation training center and infrastructure, including the establishment of ab initio through to commercial jet pilot training programs in accordance with the (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations.

It will also help align (ATCO) training programs to standards and equipment deployed throughout Indonesia, and to align airline maintenance training programs with global standards of course ware, curriculum and the education and training of instructors, management and staff.

The Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook projects that SE Asia, including Indonesia, will require >47,000 new commercial airline pilots (FC) and >60,000 new maintenance technicians (MT) over the next 20 years to support economic and air travel growth and new airplane deliveries.

Indonesia is working hard to address a poor track record in commercial aviation safety, and in April this year, the European Commission (EC) said it “recognizes the efforts of [its] safety oversight authorities to reform the civil aviation system and notably to improve safety to guarantee that international safety standards are effectively and consistently applied.”

All Indonesian carriers were added to the European Union (EU)’s blacklist of unsafe airlines in 2007 and most remain on the list. However, national carrier Garuda Airways (GIA) was removed from the list in 2009 and a handful of other airlines (including Airfast Indonesia (PTF), Mandala Airlines (MND), Ekspres Transportasi Antarbenua, Indonesia AirAsia (AWR) and Batavia Air (BTV)) have now been given the all-clear.